New school supplies help children move ahead

In Chicago's North Lawndale community, the median household income is about half the Illinois average and many families scramble to pay for rent and food. Few dollars, if any, are left for new school supplies.

With the help of gifts-in-kind from corporate sponsors, World Vision's Teacher Resource Center provides learning tools and classroom supplies to schools like Henson Elementary in Lawndale, where more than 70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. World Vision also has given hundreds of backpacks stuffed with supplies to local children at back-to-school events."If you don’t have school supplies, you can’t do the work," said Ledell, a student at Henson. "If you don’t do the work, you won't get good grades. If you don’t get your education, you won't get the knowledge you need for the world."

Working With Schools

Among a community's most valuable assets are its children and youth. Every child deserves the right to learn, and every family deserves the right to see their children achieve their full potential. For children growing up in poverty, education can be the key that unlocks the door to a brighter future. But in homes where resources are scarce and options are few, purchasing school supplies often becomes secondary to paying the rent or keeping the power on.

Children whose families struggle to make ends meet often face greater challenges succeeding in school than peers from better-resourced communities. World Vision works to level the playing field for these students by providing the tools they need to learn.

Providing Opportunities

Each year, tens of thousands of teachers visit World Vision's Teacher Resource Centers in the under-resourced communities where World Vision serves. Teachers in qualifying schools can visit stock up on learning and classroom supplies like binders, notebooks, crayons, glue sticks, and much more. Generous corporate donors provide these new, quality supplies that help ensure all students have the tools they need to learn.